Zeigen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of zeigen — “to show” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for zeigen, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “I show the way to the station.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for zeigen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of zeigen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for zeigen. zeigen is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present (Präsens) — zeigen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | zeige |
| du | zeigst |
| er/sie/es | zeigt |
| wir | zeigen |
| ihr | zeigt |
| sie/Sie | zeigen |
The present participle of zeigen is zeigend and the past participle is gezeigt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of zeigen is formed
For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem zeig- (the infinitive zeigen without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → zeige, du → zeigst, er/sie/es → zeigt, wir → zeigen, ihr → zeigt, sie/Sie → zeigen. So zeigen gives zeige, zeigst, zeigt, zeigen, zeigt, zeigen.
When to use the present tense of zeigen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with zeigen: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “I show the way to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with zeigen: “Du zeigst den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “You show the way to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with zeigen: “Er zeigt den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “He shows the way to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with zeigen: “Wir zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “We show the way to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with zeigen: “Sie zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “They show the way to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: zeigen now, zeigen later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “I show the way to the station.”
Future: “Ich werde den Weg zum Bahnhof zeigen.” — “I will show the way to the station.”
Present: “Du zeigst den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “You show the way to the station.”
Future: “Du wirst den Weg zum Bahnhof zeigen.” — “You will show the way to the station.”
Present: “Wir zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “We show the way to the station.”
Future: “Wir werden den Weg zum Bahnhof zeigen.” — “We will show the way to the station.”
Example sentences: zeigen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of zeigen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “I show the way to the station.”
- “Du zeigst den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “You show the way to the station.”
- “Er zeigt den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “He shows the way to the station.”
- “Wir zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “We show the way to the station.”
- “Ihr zeigt den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “You show the way to the station.”
- “Sie zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.” — “They show the way to the station.”
Common mistakes with zeigen in the present tense
1. Using the infinitive instead of the present
✗ Wrong: “Ich zeigen den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
✓ Right: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form zeige.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
✓ Right: “Du zeigst den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
After du you need zeigst, not the ich form zeige. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde den Weg zum Bahnhof zeigen.”
✓ Right: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (zeige), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich zeigte den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
✓ Right: “Ich zeige den Weg zum Bahnhof.”
Something happening right now takes the present (zeige), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: zeigen in the present tense
What is the ich form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigst
- B) zeigen
- C) zeige
- D) zeigt
What is the du form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigen
- B) zeigst
- C) zeige
- D) zeigt
What is the er/sie/es form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigst
- B) zeige
- C) zeigen
- D) zeigt
What is the wir form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigst
- B) zeigt
- C) zeigen
- D) zeige
What is the ihr form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigen
- B) zeigst
- C) zeige
- D) zeigt
What is the sie/Sie form of zeigen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) zeigt
- B) zeigen
- C) zeige
- D) zeigst
What is the past participle of zeigen?
- A) zeigte
- B) gezeigt
- C) zeige
- D) zeigend
Which auxiliary does zeigen take in the Perfekt?
- A) haben
- B) sein
- C) werden
Answer key
- C) zeige — the ich form of zeigen in the present tense is zeige.
- B) zeigst — the du form of zeigen in the present tense is zeigst.
- D) zeigt — the er/sie/es form of zeigen in the present tense is zeigt.
- C) zeigen — the wir form of zeigen in the present tense is zeigen.
- D) zeigt — the ihr form of zeigen in the present tense is zeigt.
- B) zeigen — the sie/Sie form of zeigen in the present tense is zeigen.
- B) gezeigt — the past participle of zeigen is gezeigt; the Perfekt uses haben + gezeigt.
- A) haben — zeigen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe gezeigt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of zeigen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → zeige, du → zeigst, er/sie/es → zeigt, wir → zeigen, ihr → zeigt, sie/Sie → zeigen. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is zeigen regular in the present tense?
Yes — zeigen is regular in the present tense: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of zeigen?
The past participle is gezeigt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe gezeigt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte gezeigt.
Related pages
- zeigen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- zeigen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise zeigen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise zeigen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.